Budae Jjigae (Army Stew)
A hearty Korean stew, one of the more popular hot pot dishes. The ingredient list looks daunting but it is surprisingly easy to make (especially if you use water or chicken broth in place of dashi). It's also really cheap to make and comforting, which makes for a lovely dinner on a cold, rainy day. Apparently, this dish originated during the Korean war, when food was scarce and surplus processed foods from US military bases were often used, which explains the name and the addition of spam, sausages, and American cheese. You really can't go wrong with this dish and you can feel free to customize it to your heart's desire. I didn't have any mushrooms or cheese this time, but it still tasted wonderful.
Active Time: 20 min
Total Time: 20 min
Ingredients
Broth: (makes 4 cups total)
> water (6 cups)
> kombu (10g)
> dried anchovy (20, head + innards removed)
> (optional) Korean radish (100g, cut into small-ish pieces)
Sauce:
> gochugaru (2 tbsp)
> mirin (2 tbsp)
> soy sauce (2 tbsp)
> minced garlic (2 cloves)
> sugar (1/2 tbsp)
> gochujang (1/2 tbsp)
Putting it all together:
> spam (200g, thinly sliced)
> sausage (150g, thinly sliced diagonally)
> tofu (200g, thinly sliced)
> enoki mushroom (200g, base stem removed + stems separated)
> king oyster mushroom (150g, thinly sliced lengthwise)
> kimchi (1 cup)
> rice cakes (100g)
> ramen noodles (100g)
> green onions (30g, sliced diagonally)
> American cheese (2 slices)
Instructions
Making the stock:
1. In a saucepan, add the water, kombu, dried anchovy, and Korean radish. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and let simmer / low boil for ~10 min.
2. Remove the kombu, and continue to boil for ~10 min on low heat.
3. Remove the Korean radish, and sieve the stock through a kitchen muslin cloth to catch any leftover kelp or anchovy particles. The broth should be clear. Set aside.
Making the sauce:
1. Mix together the gochugaru, mirin, soy sauce, minced garlic, sugar, and gochujang. Set aside.
Putting it all together:
1. In a large, shallow, heavy-bottom pot (I used a 12 inch braiser), arrange the spam, sausage, tofu, enoki mushroom, king oyster mushroom, and kimchi. Leave some space in the middle for the ramen noodles.
2. Add the sauce in the moddle. Then pour the stock (4 cups) along the side of the pot, taking care not to disturb the arranged ingredients. Close the lid and boil it on medium-high heat until the stock starts to boil, or about 8 minutes.
3. Add the instant ramen noodles, rice cakes, green onion, and cheese on top of the pot and boil uncovered until the noodles are cooked (2-5 minutes, depending on the noodles). You may need to stir the noodles a bit to ensure an even cook.
4. Serve with a little bit of rice (and some veggies on the side). Enjoy!
Notes/Tips:
> Feel free to customize the ingredients to your heart's desire! Other types of mushrooms, other American processed foods like baked beans, napa cabbage, onions, etc.
> I typically simplify and just use water or chicken stock for the broth (maybe adding a touch of Japanese dried dashi for extra flavor) -- it's easy and turns this dish into a simple ~15-20 minute dish.
> You can optionally serve the stew on a portable burner set to low heat -- this keeps the stew warm as you eat.